Palma ratio in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Palma ratio was 2.49 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Palma ratio in Costa Rica, 1981–2025
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for palma ratio in Costa Rica is 2.49, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, palma ratio in Costa Rica peaked at 3.56 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 1.32, in 1986.
That places Costa Rica 11th out of 120 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Palma ratio in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 2.89 | — |
| 1986 | 1.32 | -54.3% |
| 1989 | 2.52 | +90.9% |
| 1990 | 2.48 | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 2.69 | +8.7% |
| 1992 | 2.52 | -6.3% |
| 1993 | 2.57 | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 2.68 | +4.6% |
| 1995 | 2.53 | -5.8% |
| 1996 | 2.65 | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 2.52 | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 2.52 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 2.81 | +11.8% |
| 2000 | 2.8 | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 3.51 | +25.5% |
| 2002 | 3.56 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.11 | -12.8% |
| 2004 | 2.94 | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 2.78 | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 3.07 | +10.6% |
| 2007 | 3.05 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 2.94 | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 3.31 | +12.3% |
| 2010 | 2.84 | -14.1% |
| 2011 | 2.97 | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 2.91 | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 3.03 | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 2.96 | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 2.9 | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 2.98 | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 2.89 | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 2.84 | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 2.87 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 3.05 | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 2.96 | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 2.71 | -8.6% |
| 2023 | 2.66 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 2.55 | -4.0% |
| 2025 | 2.49 | -2.3% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 2.49 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.23, 2.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 2.49 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.37, 1.1× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Palma ratio in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +90.9% | 1.32 | 2.52 |
| 1986 | -54.3% | 2.89 | 1.32 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.24 | 1.32 | 2.89 | 3 |
| 1990s | 2.6 | 2.48 | 2.81 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.11 | 2.78 | 3.56 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.92 | 2.84 | 3.03 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.74 | 2.49 | 3.05 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More reference data data for Costa Rica
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2987 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.406 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3161 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0907 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is palma ratio in Costa Rica?
- Palma ratio in Costa Rica was 2.49 in 2025, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest palma ratio recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 3.56 in 2002.
- What is the lowest palma ratio recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.32 in 1986.
- How does Costa Rica rank for palma ratio?
- Costa Rica ranks 11th out of 120 countries with data for 2025.
- Is palma ratio rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Palma ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Palma ratio is a measure of inequality that divides the share received by the richest 10% by the share of the poorest 40%. Higher values indicate higher inequality.